With two minutes before the halftime, Persepolis midfielder Kamal Kamyabinia was forced to leave the field after receiving a straight red card.
Mehdi Torabi scored the sole goal of the match in the 66th minute from a tight angle in Tehran’s empty Azadi Stadium.
Persepolis took another step toward their fourth successive title.
Also, struggling Paykan beat Zob Ahan 4-1 in Isfahan and Tractor beat Sanat Naft 2-0 in Tabriz.
Persepolis leads the table with 53 points. Sepahan is second with 40 points with one game in hand. Tractor sits third with 40 points.